Direct replacement of a light source generally occurs when an existing—usually failed—light source is replaced with another having similar power regulating and connection means. For example, the light source of a residential lighting fixture (e.g., table lamp) may include a failed 60 W incandescent bulb which is replaced with a 100 W incandescent bulb—this is not a retrofit situation. A retrofit situation occurs when the light source being replaced is somehow different from the light source replacing it; most typically in terms of power requirements. Take, for example, that same table lamp in which the failed 60 W incandescent bulb is instead replaced with a 15 W LED bulb (which has a comparable light output to a 100 W incandescent bulb); the latter requires an onboard driver system so to adapt the available AC to the DC power requirements of the LED source, and is an example of a retrofit situation. However, it should be noted that the above example is a simple retrofit situation—the disparate power requirements are resolved without any other modification to the rest of the lighting system—and that there are other more complex lighting retrofit situations which lack such an elegant solution widely embraced by the market.
Take, for example, specialized lighting systems such as sports or wide area lighting systems. Unlike the example of a table lamp, there are no standard bulb shapes or sizes, no standard bulb base, no standard incoming power. On the contrary, all of these features can differ from site to site and manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, a site might have 480 incoming voltage or 240 incoming voltage, incoming power might be three-phase or one-phase, the existing lighting system might be a mix of HID lamps and sodium lamps of varying sizes and shapes, and the like. Lighting technology aside, power regulating means, connection means, and the aforementioned non-lighting technology portions of the existing lighting system such as poles, enclosures, wiring, and crossarms could also differ. As one example, an existing lighting system could include a solid wood pole with exposed wiring or a hollow steel pole with internal wiring. As another example, poles might be bolted to a plate on the ground, buried in the ground, or attached to some other feature in the lighting system (e.g., a truss system).
Therefore, it may be appreciated that the one-for-one replacement approach in the residential lighting retrofit market—namely, old light source out, new light source in, no other changes required—while appealing, is likely impractical for the specialized lighting retrofit market.
That being said, to date some manufacturers have attempted to take the one-for-one replacement approach in specialized lighting system retrofits; these efforts have largely been met with serious issues. For example, some manufacturers attempt to retain existing crossarms—even when one-for-one retrofit fixtures do not fit in the existing crossarm footprint. Doing so restricts the range of achievable horizontal and vertical aiming of retrofit fixtures, and often results in dark spots at the target area thereby compromising lighting uniformity. Some manufacturers drill new holes in existing crossarms to accommodate the footprint of one-for-one retrofit fixtures. Doing so often results in weakening of the crossarm, as well as introducing additional locations for moisture ingress, thereby compromising wiring and potentially increasing corrosion.
Even still, there is a market for retrofitting specialized lighting systems. Sports fields, for example, are in play for many years past the useful life of an older lighting technology, and often some components (e.g., poles, ballasts) still have useful life. Therefore, there is a need for a modified approach to the one-for-one retrofit solution already widely embraced by the residential lighting retrofit market; namely, one that takes into account the unique requirements of specialized lighting systems by retrofitting older or different lighting technology with newer technology while minimizing modification to non-lighting technology portions of the lighting system such as poles, enclosures, wiring, and crossarms where such is feasible and cost effective.
Thus, there is room for improvement in the art.